Maybe He Was Just Tired
by Devers18
Summary: Mark Sloan has finally realized that Derek is the one he's in love with, but can he actually tell him? Rated T for later chapters and language.
1. Tired

_**'Ello everyone. I know I haven't really posted anything in months, but now I am on a roll. I have a bunch of stories planed out. Mainly going off of this one.**_

_**Backstory: I was challenged by one of my friends that I couldn't write 500 stories in two years. But, here's the catch. Every story has a different prompt word, and every 100 stories have to deal with one couple, and one couple only.**_

_**I have decided that my first 100 stories will be based off of this couple right here: Mark Sloan and Derek Shepperd. Each 'story' will advance from this one. Reviews are nice, so please, review?**_

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_****__**001. Tired **_

Being a doctor had it's down-falls. Constantly being tired was one of them. Of course, if he didn't have sex with someone every night, and sometimes multiple times during the day, then maybe he wouldn't be so damn tired all the time! Bust asking him to cut back on sex was like asking the Pope not to be Catholic. It just wasn't possible. But lately, he was slowing down with the sex. And it wasn't just because the nurses hated him, nor the fact that he slept with almost every single woman at Seattle Grace. The reason he was slowing down was simple: Hair care products. The person that he wanted to sleep with had a wonderful amount of hair care products. Not that it was the _only _thing that made him want this person, but it was a plus.

Mark closed his eyes, nearly falling asleep there in the elevator. He needed to get some sleep as soon as possible. His mind kept wandering to things that it shouldn't be, and that was saying something for Mark. Unfortunately, Mark Sloan didn't have much time to think these inappropriate thoughts because when the elevator _dinged _open to floors above the lobby, the very person that he was thinking of walked in. Of course, the other half was there. Meredith. Meredith was always there when Mark needed to talk to Derek. And it was near impossible to break the two apart, but it almost seemed like Mark's luck was changing. When the elevator reached the lobby, Meredith and Derek went their separate ways. That gave Mark his chance.

"Hey Derek, do you want to get a drink?" Mark asked, chasing after his best friend, and the guy that he secretly wanted to sleep with. It was probably not healthy, wanting to sleep with your best friend. Not to mention the fact that Mark Sloan, the biggest man-whore of them all, was having thoughts about sleeping with a guy, best friend or not. Sure, Mark was tired as hell and right now he just wanted to sleep more then anything in the world. But, this would probably be his only chance to get drunk and tell Derek how he felt.

Derek knew better than to trust Mark though. It always seemed that Mark wanted to get a drink when something happened in Mark's life. So, apprehensively, Derek asked, "Why? What do you have planed?"

"Nothing," Mark replied a little too quickly. "Nothing. Just, I've had a tough day and I thought that I would get a drink with my best friend."

"You're not my best friend. And it's sad that I'm _your _best friend," Derek replied, a smirk playing at his lips.

"Hey, that's hitting below the belt," Mark joked. He knew that this was Derek's way of getting back at him for the whole Addison thing. Mark just went along with it to make Derek feel better. After all, Mark did owe Derek this much. "So you up for the drink or not? I'll even pay."

"You must _really _want this drink. Normally I'm the one stuck with the tab," Derek commented.

"Hey, I'm trying to be a nice guy here," Mark said, this time a smirk starting to appear on his lips.

"You're never the nice guy," Derek said, still apprehensive of Mark. "Fine, whatever. You want to go to Joe's?"

Mark nodded. Joe's was the safest place. If worse came to worse, the people there would understand. Mark was just tired. That was all.

Twenty minutes later, Mark set down his third empty beer bottle. Derek was hardly even done with his first glass of scotch. "You must have had a crappy day," Derek commented, noting how much Mark was drinking. Sure, Mark normally drank a lot, but Derek hadn't seen him drink this heavily since college, and even then he didn't drink _this _fast.

"I think I'm falling for someone," Mark replied.

"You? Falling for someone? The only person that I've ever known you to fall for was my wife," Derek said half-joking and semi-bitter.

"Hey, I'm not joking, okay?" Mark snapped.

"Neither am I. So, who is she?" Derek asked, looking forward and away from his friend. Mark looked over at Derek and watched him swirl the scotch around his glass. Looking down at the bar, Mark didn't say anything. He wasn't _near _drunk enough to say anything to Derek about the truth. "Mark, are you okay?" Derek asked, looking over to his friend. He was getting a little worried about him. He looked at Mark who was still staring at the bar, deep in thought.

Mark finally looked up into Derek's eyes. His perfect eyes. Just as quickly as Mark looked up into his eyes, Mark dropped his gaze back to the bar. "It's...It's not a woman," Mark mumbled. He felt really awkward saying it out loud, especially to Derek, but he needed to get it off his chest. Needed it to be out there in the open.

"Oh. Well, I-um...I didn't know that you were," Derek started.

"I'm _not. _It's just this guy...He's special. And perfect, and I can't have him," Mark mumbled, finishing off his fourth beer. Mark knew that he was opening himself up for more question, but what was he going to do? Just shut Derek out for the rest of his life? Maybe this was what it was like for Callie when she realized that she had feelings for Hahn.

Derek too a slow sip from his drink. Obviously Mark wanted to talk about this. Mark, of all people, wanted to talk about relationships and feelings. It was actually kind of creepy in a way. "Why can't you have him?" Derek asked, knowing that it was a safer question than asking Mark who it was. Of course, Derek felt like an idiot for asking. Mark didn't say anything, he just gave Derek one of those famous 'Mark Sloan' looks. "Fine. What do you want me to ask, who it is you're lusting after?" Derek asked, getting a little annoyed.

"I'm not _lusting _after anyone! Damn it Derek! This is the one time I'm actually in love, and you mock me for it!" Mark expressed. He was a little peeved that Derek was mocking him, even if it was what they did to each other. For once in his life, Mark was being serious. And he wanted Derek to take it seriously.

"Who is it, Mark?" Derek asked gently, looking away from his scotch again.

Mark looked at his beer bottle. This was his chance. The moment that he had been wishing for minutes ago. Still, Mark was doubtful. If Mark said what he really wanted to say, well, it would ruin their friendship, again. It would ruin everything. Sighing, Mark put his fifth beer to his lips. After taking a nice long drink, Mark looked at Derek. "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just tired."

Yeah, that was it. Mark Sloan was just tired.


	2. Back Alley

_**Second Chapter/Prompt Of My Challenge. Yay! So Sorry If Mark Seems Out Of Character In This Chapter Thingy. It Seemed Like Something Cute And Cuddly And Warm And Fuzzy (Don't Mind Me, Lots Of Painkillers From Surgery). Anyways! This Chapter Has A Little Bit Of Language, But Nothing Too Bad. Sorry it's kind of short. I promise the next one will be longer. I love you guys!  
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_****__**002. Back Alley **_

It was hours after Mark and Derek were at the bar, and Mark was lying on his back in his bed, just staring up at the ceiling. Though he was tired as hell, Mark just couldn't sleep. Not even with the amount of alcohol he consumed. Not after what happened hours earlier. Not after Mark was so close to admitting to his best friend that he loved him, in more ways then one. It was scary.

After Mark dropped the subject neither one of them brought it up. Mark and Derek sat there talking about other things. The hospital, patients, Meredith, Lexie, things like that. In actuality, Mark was pretty sure that Derek forgot the whole thing. Which was good. Mark didn't want the subject to be brought up again. And now that he wasn't trying to build up courage, Mark was taking it easy on the drinks. Pretty soon, it was last call and Mark got up, staggering a little.

It wasn't until he was outside that he really felt sick. Ducking behind the bar, Mark got sick, leaning against the wall of the back alley. After a few minutes, Mark heard someone call out his name. Unable to reply (due to the fact that Mark was getting sick again), Mark just looked out of the corner of his eye. At the end of the alley was Derek, a concerned look on his face. Mark looked away. It was embarrassing enough to tell Derek that he was falling for a guy, but it was down-right humiliating that Derek had to see him throwing up because of too much beer. Derek just stood off to the side of Mark and waited.

"Give me your keys," Derek said, extending his hand.

"I'm fine," Mark said, wiping his mouth off.

"You're in no condition to drive. Give me your keys," Derek demanded. Reluctantly Mark gave his friend his keys. This wasn't the first time that Derek had to drive him home because he was drunk, but for some reason, this time seemed worse then the others. "Tell me who it is," Derek said, blocking Mark's way out of the alley.

"What?" Mark said, taken completely by shock. He thought that this subject had been buried a few hours ago.

"I'm not driving you home until you tell me who it is," Derek said, dangling his friend's keys in his face.

"Screw you. I'll take the bus," Mark said, shoving past Derek.

"You hate public transportation," Derek said. Damn it, Mark could actually hear the smirk in his friend's voice.

"I'm not going to tell you," Mark said, not turning to his friend. Why was it that even when they were fighting, Derek ended up being cute? Damn it! Did he just think that his best friend, his guy best friend was cute? Mark was freakin' screwed.

"Then you can either sleep in the on-call room at the hospital or find another way of getting home," Derek said simply, pocketing Mark's keys. He started to walk past Mark when he felt Mark's hand on his wrist.

"Give me my keys. I'm going home," Mark said, anger bubbling to the surface.

"Tell me who it is. I'll drive you home," Derek replied, keeping a smile on his face. He was worried about Mark. He had never seen his friend like this.

"Give me my god damn keys Derek," Mark spat through clenched teeth.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Derek asked, not joking anymore. He really was curious as to why Mark wouldn't just tell him.

Mark looked down at the ground and sighed. He let go of Derek's hand. "I'm going to sleep in the on-call room. Give me my keys back tomorrow, understand?" Mark said in a defeated voice.

"Hey, come on, I'll drive you home. No questions asked. Nothing, alright?" Derek sympathetically said. Mark nodded and followed Derek to his car. Sitting down in the passenger seat, Mark sighed again.

"I want to tell you Derek. I want to tell you who I've fallen for, but I can't. Not like this," Mark said simply. He wasn't too sure if he wasn't ever going to be able to tell Derek, but he was sure that now wasn't the time.

"You know, it's okay to tell me. I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything," Derek said, a smile appearing on his lips. Mark scoffed. It was what Mark did. Whenever things got mushy and too personal, Mark would just scoff and change the subject. But Derek wasn't going to let him off that easy. "Don't change the subject. I mean it Mark, you can tell me."

"You're an idiot. Can't you tell that it's because you're my best friend I can't tell you?" Mark said, folding his arms and looking out the window. "Look, I'll tell you, but on my terms. When you're not holding my keys hostage."

The rest of the car ride pasted in silence. Mark stared out the window, his emotions churning inside of him. This was his chance. Derek was giving him his chance. And, just like typical Mark, he was blowing it all away. He was giving up before he even tried. As they pulled up to the apartment, Mark couldn't be anymore excited. It was the first time that he was actually happy at the idea of going up to an empty apartment. It made things easier for him. He didn't have to explain why he wanted to be left alone, and he didn't have to explain why he was so drunk.

Getting out of the car, Mark took his first few staggering steps towards the door of his apartment. He didn't want to spend anymore time with Derek that night than he had too. Too bad that even walking in a zig-zag line was impossible for Mark at the moment. Before Mark could even stager two feet, Derek was there, supporting Mark. If it wasn't for the fact that the alcohol was finally settling in Mark's brain, Mark would be enjoying himself. The man he loved had his arm around his waist. He had his arm around Derek's shoulder. It was perfect. Minus the alcohol induced stupor.

How they managed to climb the stairs, Mark would never knew. But there they were. Standing in front of his apartment. Now was his final chance before they parted ways. Mark leaned in towards Derek a little and said with a slight slur, "Derek…the guy I've fallen for…" Mark still couldn't bring himself to do it though. It was too painful. To embarrassing.

"Wait. I need to tell you something first," Derek said. God. He was looking at him with that look. That classic 'McDreamy' look. No wonder he earned that nickname. It suited him.

Mark gulped. "What is it?" he asked in barely more than a whisper.

"Your breath stinks," Derek said, a small smirk on his face.

Yep. The pretty much crushed Mark. Crushed him like a bug. "Give me my damn keys," Mark snapped, the stupor suddenly gone. The minute that he had the door open, Mark slammed it in Derek's face. That was their moment! And McDreamy ruined it! McDreamy ruined it, and McSteamy let it get away. 


	3. Sunrise

_**Yay! Part three! I have been LOVING you guys for all the feedback! Sorry this one is short again. I promise that a longer one is coming. Especially since some of the prompts aren't so...well...gay.  
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_****__**003. Sunrise**_

Sunrise in Seattle was something that Mark Sloan never got use to. It was simply stunning. Or maybe it was simply stunning that Mark Sloan was up early enough to _see _the sunrise. As he stood at the window of his apartment, Mark could almost literally feel his head spinning. There were parts of the night before that he couldn't remember. Either he couldn't remember them or his brain was repressing the memories. Either way, he couldn't remember, and that made things a bit easier on him. It gave Mark a feeling of content that came with forgetting everything. Maybe if he just played it cool, things would blow over. Let things that he said just disappear into the back of his mind. Not that Derek would let it go, but at least Mark could feel a little more comfortable with it. Of course, that didn't make Mark feel any better about what he had to face later in the day. And it defiantly didn't make it any less daunting; just more comfortable.

The last thing that Mark could remember telling Derek was that he was "lusting after" another guy. And of course that the lust purely was spawned from being too tired and over-worked. Everything after that was nothing but a blur of color and sounds. Not to mention bad taste. Except for yelling at Derek. That was the strange thing about the night. Usually Derek drove Mark home, dumped him in his bed and left. Sometimes Derek would crash on Mark's couch, but that was a rarity now that Meredith was in the picture. It was rare for Derek to spend time with him any more. Derek was the only person that Mark had in his life. Through everything, Derek was there for him. And although they had their issues when Addison got between them, they were better. They were friends again. But, for all Mark knew, he had messed it up last night...Again. He couldn't even remember what happened last night. So, knowing Mark and his fat-mouth (which usually spewed sexual invitations whenever possible) he had confessed his feelings to Derek.

Sitting there watching the sun rise over Seattle was driving Mark insane, no matter how beautiful it was. He needed to clear things up. He needed to make sure that his one last remaining friendship was intact. He needed to make sure that Mark didn't blurt out anything about how 'cute' Derek looked when he pouted or how Derek's McDreamy look didn't just effect the girls. Sighing, Mark stood up and went to go get dressed. He didn't know what he was going to do yet, but it wasn't going to be sitting around his empty apartment only to be lost in his own thoughts.

Since it was his day off, Mark decided against the hospital. He could only deal with so much drama at one time. And currently, it was dealing with Derek. So, without really realizing what he was doing, Mark set off in the direction of Derek's trailer. Sure, showing up on Derek's door-step might seem a little desperate, but Mark had to know. He needed to know that he didn't screw everything up. That he didn't mess up the one thing that he still had in this world. So he drove. Drove out of Seattle and into the middle of no-where.

Once he pulled up to Derek's house, Mark could feel unease set in again. It was only a few minutes after seven in the morning. Probably not near enough time for either one of them to sleep off the alcohol, but Mark couldn't wait. He needed to know just how messed up his relationship was. How messed up _he _had made it. Getting out of the car, Mark walked up to Derek's trailer and knocked on the door. He stood their waiting for a few seconds, but in those few seconds a constant stream of thoughts kept floating through his head, including the idea of running back to the car and driving away.

"Mark, what the hell are you doing here? It's a quarter after seven..." a very groggy-looking Derek asked.

"What happened last night?" Mark asked.

"You got drunk and I drove you home," Derek replied, confused about what Mark was asking.

"Did I tell you?"

"About what?"

"Who it is that I'm 'lusting after' as you call it."

"No you got pissed off and threatened not only to sleep in the on-call room but to also hurt me."

After a moment, what Derek said set into his brain. Mark nodded and sighed. "Good. That's good."

"How is you threatening me good?"

"Because it means that I haven't tolled messed this one up yet!" Mark said, angered.

"This one what?"

"This one friendship!"


	4. Late

_**Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long to update, but I have been soooo busy with school. Here's part four of the story. Hope you enjoy. Also, once again, sorry for it being so short.  
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_****__**004. Late**_

It was getting late. For the first time in a long time, the two "brothers" as they called themselves were able to sit down for a day and actually have a conversation. Or several conversations. But now it was getting late, and the beers had come out of the fridge. The two of them were starting to feel the effects of the first few beers that they had and their laughter was becoming louder and would be over the dumbest things they could think of. Some of it had to do with past memories about New York. Things that seemed too far away from the two of them. Another thing was Addison. The thing that pulled them apart.

But Mark and Derek were finally back to their past relationship. Sure, there was still tension between the two of them, but they were together. They were happy and they were together. Granted, they were drunk off their asses, but neither one of them seemed to care about that. It was just nice to be able to forget about things. It was nice to have a chance to just talk about things.

It was getting late though. And Mark would have to leave soon. He had work in the morning and he couldn't show up at the hospital with a hang over. Besides, at this point Mark was still sober enough to drive home...He thought. "I should leave," Mark said, standing up and almost falling over.

"I think you need to stay here. You can sleep on the couch," Derek said, pushing Mark back toward his chair.

"No really, I have to go. I have to work in the morning," Mark said, getting up and falling forward, almost on top of Derek. Mark's hands were on the arms of the lawn chair that Derek was sitting in. Color rushed to Mark's face as his brown eyes went to meet Derek's blue ones. Luckily, Derek took it for Mark being tipsy.

Derek chuckled a little as he looked at Mark. "All the more reason why you should stay here," Derek said.

Mark didn't reply. He just stood there, so close to Derek. Swallowing hard Mark looked down and bent forward, not really thinking. His lips met Derek's. For the first time in a long time, Mark kept his eyes opened through the kiss, searching Derek's face. Mark didn't know what happened. He just felt like it was the right thing to do. "I'm sorry..." Mark whispered, pulling away from Derek.

"I think you should go."


	5. Son

**_Hey there! Another new chapter? In two days time? What is this madness! This is Devers avoiding homework and needing something to keep her from killing her mother! But, yes, I know I've been promising longer chapters, but I'm actually kind of liking these shorter ones. Plus, it won't be as torturous to read all 100 chapters to it, so be thanking me._**

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**005. Son**

What had happened? What made him want to do that? He knew that he had feelings for Derek for a long time, but he never thought that he was going to act on them. He never suspected that in a matter of seconds he could have messed up his life, again. He felt like an idiot for kissing Derek, but at the same time he felt relief. As Mark lay in his bed, he couldn't help but realize that maybe all this time Mark had just been waiting. Waiting for the right moment for him to finally tell Derek about this.

Sure, there were times when Derek had suspected Mark to be gay, but he wasn't. Mark loved women too much. It was just that he needed someone special in his life, and for most of his life that was Derek. What was that saying? That two people couldn't be friends because the other one fell for the other? Did that imply at this point, or was that just for opposite sex relationships? Either way, Mark knew that it was true. Mark's mind was reeling. He couldn't help but think that he made the wrong choice. Maybe it was because he spent too much time with Derek that this had happened. Mark was basically the Shepherd's other son. He spent most of his youth with Derek.

Sighing, Mark rolled over on his side. This was probably some psychological trick. His brain was just so sleep deprived that he was getting his signals mixed. Bromance for romance. Maybe he should call up Callie or another one of his wonderful booty-call mistresses. Maybe he just needed to remind his brain what it was that he really enjoyed. The curve of a woman's body. The feeling that he got when he kissed them. Their thick hair and the way that they sighed after every kiss.

But, at the same time Mark couldn't help but think about those damn hair care products, and how thick and perfect Derek made his hair look, even when he had been at the hospital for thirty-six hours. And the kiss with Derek. The slight chapped feel to his lips under Mark's. The way that his breath caught in the back of his throat (probably from the shock) and the exhale that followed the kiss.

All of it made his head spin. Mark sighed and reached for his phone. Checking the time, Mark debated on texting Derek or Callie or anyone for that matter. Just as he decided to text Callie to ask for sex, the screen of his phone lit up. Derek's name was displayed with a note saying "One new text message." The LED lights burnt Mark's eyes as he hit 'Open'. It wasn't a long text, but the five words on the screen made Mark's heart sink.

**Mark. We need to talk.**


	6. Hot

**_Hey guys, guess what! I have another chapter for you guys to enjoy. I have been on a roll lately, and I don't think it's going to stop anytime soon. Anyways, this is a warning: this chapter is a little bit more 'steamy' then the others, and not just because McSteamy is in it. So, yeah, you've been warned. Also! Minor language warning. =)_**

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******006. Hot**

Seattle's nights were cold. Cold and normally wet. But beautiful. Especially from Derek's trailer and his acres of woods. Not only could you see the whole city laid out at your feet, but you could see every star and every constellation in the sky. It was perfect. It anyone ever had doubts about why Derek picked this spot, all they had to do was come visit him at night. In fact, Mark preferred to visit Derek at night. Not because it implied secret lovers or a tragedy, but just for the breath-taking view.

That's why when Mark had gotten Derek's text, he had no hesitation to jump into his car and drive to the trailer. Derek had been waiting outside, his breath coming out in small little puffs. Getting out of the car, Mark just looked at Derek. It was another one of those classic Mark Sloan looks. The "I'm sorry I fucked everything up again" look. Derek knew the look too well. That look had developed out of too many childhood spats between the two, yet, the look always worked on Derek. No matter what happened between the two of them, Mark just had to flash one of _those _looks and things worked themselves out.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," Mark said, closing the door to his car and walking toward the trailer.

Derek shrugged and went inside. He went to sit on the couch as Mark stood by the door. "You should have told me it was me. Maybe I could have been prepared for that, what ever the hell _that _was."

"_That _was a kiss Derek. A kiss. Maybe you have forgotten that because of how little you and Meredith do it lately," Mark bantered. He didn't feel like being serious. He didn't feel like letting down his walls.

"Haha, you're funny," Derek replied sarcastically. Then, his tone changed. The jokes seemed to fly off his face in a matter of half a second. "I kind of suspected."

Mark snorted. Of course Derek suspected. Derek knew everything about him. "Yeah, well? What does this mean?" Mark asked, still giving an air of not caring about the matter.

Derek stood up and took his coat off. He walked over to where Mark was, standing next to the coat rack. Derek stepped close enough to Mark to feel his hot breath. Mark inhaled deeply, trying to remember what it was like this close to him. Trying to not reach out and touch Derek, to fall in love with him again. Derek hung up his coat and stood there. His blue eyes wondering over Mark's face and body. "What, you're not going to kiss me again?"

"No. I think you would like it too much," Mark whispered, his mouth dry and his sarcastic bite gone.

"Fine." Derek leaned forward and filled the space between the two of them. This time it was Mark who was caught off guard. He didn't know what to do. He really couldn't believe what was happening to him. Derek was the one who instigated this. It was okay to do something back. He wasn't off limits anymore.

Mark recovered quickly from his shock and wrapped one arm around Derek's waist and the other around the back of his head, pushing him toward the couch. The bed seemed too far away. In both the sense of distance and the comfort that the two would have. To Mark's knowledge, this was the first time either one of them had ever had a homosexual encounter like this. Pushing Derek down on the couch, Mark straddled him. His eyes closed and he moved his hands down Derek's chest.

Every time one of them pulled apart to breath, Mark could feel Derek's hot breath mixing with his. He couldn't get enough of him and he tried to keep his lips plastered on Derek's as he started to push up Derek's shirt. Mark needed him. Needed him more then he ever needed anyone in his life.

A ringing started in Mark's ears. He took it to be a combination of lack of oxygen and because he was getting to a point where it was almost painful to keep just kissing Derek. The ringing kept getting louder as Mark moved his lips from Derek's lips to his cheek bone, his collar bone. He breathed lightly on Derek's skin, all the while, the ringing getting louder and louder.

Finally, it was unbearable. Mark needed to know where it was coming from. He opened his eyes.

Sun light streamed through his apartment's window and his alarm clock was blaring in his ear. Turning on his side, Mark shut off the clock. For a minute, he just laid there, staring out the window. It was a dream. All in his head. But, it had felt so real. So..._Perfect._


	7. Friend

**_GUYS! I'M SO, SO, SO, SOOOOOO, SORRY! I had promised that I would get you guy another chapter in what, December?, but something came up with school and I couldn't write because my head was too full. Anyways, this is a kind of a short chapter. The next one will get things rollin' I think. I'm not sure yet. _**

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******007. Friend**

There came a time in people's lives when they stopped living and started existing. Most people would say that it's the other way around. But, what people didn't understand was that when you're living for so long, it just gets tiring. It took up too much energy and time and effort. That's when existing came into play. Existing was a state of life in which people could get caught up. This was probably the reason as to why Mark had decided that he needed to exist for a while. No more living.

Pulling into the parking space reserved for him, Mark sighed. He wasn't looking forward to having to face his friend. Especially after what had happened last night, both in real life and in his dreams. Mark wasn't one to get embarrassed easily, but he could already feel his face growing hot thinking about what he had dreamed about.

Getting out of the car, Mark noticed Lexie walking with meredith and Cristina up ahead. He was tempted to wedge himself into the conversation some how (maybe by playing the Dirty Mistresses Club car) in order to hear if they were talking about Derek. According to rumors, Meredith and Derek had been having issues with their relationship. Not that Mark cared. He saw it as an opportunity. But, Mark kept his distance as he walked across the parking lot.

Some how, Seattle Grace looked a lot more daunting that day. It was like he was an intern all over again: weak-kneed and scared. But he had no reason to be scared. He was Mark Sloan. _The _Mark Sloan. World-famous plastic-surgeon. There was no reason to be afraid of walking into that hospital. He was Mark fucking Sloan. And it was just Derek. Just the Derek he had kissed the previous night.

Derek who was his best friend. The Derek that Mark told everything to. Well, at least he use to tell everything to him. Now, it felt like he was deflecting everything and avoiding Derek. Mark sighed and decided that he might as well get it over and done with. There was no point prolonging the inevitable.

Twenty minutes later, Mark was standing at the nurses' station reading over a patient's chart. The patient in question had underwent a trick face reconstruction after a fire. It was a prime example of Mark's handy work. He couldn't help but feel proud of himself for it. As he was standing there, Mark couldn't help but be distracted by a pair of legs that would put Betty Grable to shame. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Mark watched as the amazing legs (and ass that went with it) walked away.

"Is that what you do to me when I walk away from you?" Derek's voice came from beside him.

"Hell no. Your legs and ass look horrible. I like your hair," Mark commented, looking back down at the chart. Mark couldn't help but smile. Sure, most people would be offended by what Derek had said about Mark, but this was how they operated. They made fun of each other. They said semi-mean things that brought the other back to reality. This actually _comforted _Mark. It meant that he hadn't completely messed up his friendship.

"Well, thank you," Derek chuckled, leaning against the nurses' station. He had that typical 'Derek Shepherd' smile on. The one he always wore when he was up to no good. "So...Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?" Derek asked, turning his eyes to Mark.

Mark swallowed hard and tried to resist looking at Derek. Mark knew all of Derek's flirting techniques. He had actually taught most of them to Derek. Knowing this, Mark refused to look at him. One look into those eyes and Mark would melt. Never in his life had Mark wanted his pager to go off, or for one of his patients to code, or for Meredith to show up, but at that moment in time it would have been a welcomed distraction. None of those things happened, so Mark just stared at the chart of his burn patient.

"You've been reading that chart for a while. Something wrong with them?" Derek asked, smiling again.

"Um...Not that I notice. Just a slight elevation in white counts," Mark said, making a note on the chart and handing it to the nurse. Mark turned to look at Derek. That stupid smile still on his face.

"So...Last night?" Derek asked for a second time, his eyebrows rising.

"Do we have to talk about it _here_?" Mark asked, looking around the Plastics Floor.

"Fine. On-Call Room?" Derek asked, shrugging a little.

"Like that's appropriate," Mark commented, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I don't hear you making any better suggestions," Derek rebutted.

"Fine. Let me check on a patient and I'll be there in five minutes," Mark said, reaching past Derek for a different chart.

"Fine. Five minutes," Derek said, smiling one last time before walking off.

Sighing, Mark turned his attention to the chart in his hands. But, his brain wasn't focusing. He was looking at the chart, but not really understanding anything that he was looking at. He threw the chart down onto the nurses' station and headed off toward the On-Call Room. It was better to get this over and done with then to prolong it. Rip the stitches out, as it were. Maybe he would come out with his friendship still intact, although Mark doubted it.


	8. Cheat

**_Okay, so, I know that this is the eighth chapter, but I'm going to skip to the ninth prompt. I'm saving the eighth for one of the last (if not last) chapter because I wrote a dramatic ending to it with the eighth prompt. Anyways! Enjoy, and all that jazz.  
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******009. Cheat**

Mark opened the door to the On-Call Room, bracing himself for the lashing that he would receive from Derek. Their friendship was coming down to a meeting between two guys in an on-call room in one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country. How did they even get here?

Mark had always liked women. Just ask his high school. Maybe it was the pull of being best friends. That kind of thing happened all the time, right? Maybe this was just a fad. Something to keep himself occupied until his next victim came along. And then, maybe all of this was brought on because he was tired and needed to get some sleep in order to think about things.

When Mark opened the door, he saw Derek leaning against the wall opposite him. Derek didn't look angry or upset or even offended. He just had a look of mild interest in the On-Call Room with its messed up bed sheets and no occupants. Mark closed the door and tried to keep his face composed in a look of disinterest. He was trying to give Derek the idea that this was taking up his time. It _was, _but Mark didn't actually mind. He needed to know where he stood with Derek.

"You kissed me yesterday," Derek stated.

"Well, I'm glad that's in the open. Can I get back to my patients now?" Mark asked, a little annoyed. Obviously he had kissed him. that was the whole point of the meeting.

"Why?"

"How the hell should I know? I don't choose who I'm attracted to,"

"You never had a problem with that before. Like with my wife," Derek retorted.

"That was before this-"

"Is now, I know. But I need to know what this now is. We have to work together still. I have a girlfriend here!" Derek said, turning to look at Mark.

Mark's breathe caught a little. He completely forgot about Meredith. Basically, if Mark wanted Derek to be with him, he was asking him to either cheat or break-up with her. "I don't know what happened. I think I'm just over tired," Mark mumbled.

"You and I both know that's a lie. Honestly, what is this?"

"HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW!" Mark yelled suddenly. All his anger busted out of him. It wasn't like Mark had woken up one day and decided that he was going to fall in love with his best friend. Who would wake up and make that decision?

"Mark, what do you want me to do?" Derek asked slowly.

"Are you asking me to tell you whether or not to cheat on Meredith?" Mark asked.

"I'm just trying to find out what _you _want to happen. What you want out of this, honestly. None of your crap Mark!"

Mark stood there for a minute. His anger was subsiding, but wasn't completely gone. "Honestly? I want to kiss you again. I want to kiss you every opportunity that I can get. Maybe something will come out of it. How could you not see it? You're my best friend, I thought you would have noticed that I'm in love with you!" Mark said bitterly before turning around and storming out of the On-Call Room.


	9. Think

**_Oh Mai Gawd You Guyz...I'm exactly on tenth of the way done with this story! Yay! Anyways, this is a really, really, really, short chapter. But I think the context of it makes up for being short.  
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******010. Think  
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Just like any other night in Seattle, it was raining. For once in his life, Mark didn't care about the rain. It was actually one of those peaceful drizzles that were cliche in every single movie. It had been an hour since Mark had gotten off duty, and yet, he didn't want to go home. Or at least he _couldn't _go home. He just sat there on a bench in front of the hospital.

"You should go home," a voice said from beside him.

Mark looked up at Derek standing in the rain, a look of resolve on his face. Mark turned away from him. He didn't know if he should still be angry with him or not. Deciding that it wasn't worth it anymore, Mark moved over so that Derek could sit down. "I don't want to go home. Going home means that I'm suppose to sleep, and I can't. Not tonight," Mark stated, keeping his eyes away from Derek.

"About earlier..." Derek started.

"Don't. Don't say anything to me. You don't get to say anything to me," Mark cut him off.

"_I _don't get to say anything? After you yelling at me today? _I'm _the one who doesn't get to say anything. Fine,"

"Stop pouting,"

"I'm not pouting,"

"You're pouting. I'm sorry that I yelled at you, but damn it Derek! How could you be so oblivious to that?" Mark asked suddenly. He didn't really want to talk about this, but he was going to take advantage of this moment. Better now then later he supposed.

"I guess there was a part of me that always knew. I guess that I never wanted to admin that my best friend loved me," Derek replied, sighing gently.

"Yeah, well, now you know for sure," Mark said glumly.

"Yeah...Now I know," Derek said trailing off. The two of them sat in silence for a moment before he asked, "Did you mean what you said? About want to kiss me?"

Mark nodded slowly. He didn't trust his words anymore.

"Mark, I don't want to mess things up between us," Derek whispered out of blue.

Mark turned to look at his friend. If he was interpreting what Derek had just said correctly, then..."Things were already messed up between us Derek," Mark said simply.

"Then I don't want things to get worse,"

"Then we take it slow. You go home and think about it, and I'll just, you know, go be a dirty mistress some place," Mark said, a small smirk on his face. He doubted that Derek knew about the Dirty Mistresses Club.

"'Dirty Mistress?' Okay then. That's not the point Mark. I _have _thought about it. I thought about it all day. And I know what I want to happen, I just don't think that it _should_," Derek said, getting up to leave.

"When you're done talking in riddles, let me know," Mark grumbled.

Derek took a few steps away from the bench, almost as if he was going to leave, before stopping and walking back. This time he stopped right in front of Mark. He stared down at him for a second before reaching down and kissing Mark on the lips. Mark couldn't believe it. He was pretty damn sure he wasn't dreaming, and unless he was _that _severely sleep deprived, he wasn't hallucinating. Here he was, getting a kiss from Derek Sheppard. But, all too quickly, Derek pulled away. "How's that for not talking in riddles?" Derek asked before turning and walking into the drizzle.

Mark sat on the bench, watching as Derek disappeared. That had really just happened. The game was back on. And that meant that Mark (and Derek) would have a _lot _of thinking to do.


	10. Disgust

_**Oh my god you guys, I'm so sorry! I kind of got a lot of drama going on in my life, and so this McDreamTeam (yes, that's my ship name for them) was kind of put on pause. I know I did some Glee/Klaine stuff, but that's because they were quick one-shots and helped me with getting my head straight. Um, hopefully this will not stop my story now. **_

_**This chapter is strange. I don't like it too much, but I hope you guys will! Thank you!**_

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**011. Disgust**

There would always be that certain level of disgust. People would always think that love between tow guys or two girls would be completely disgusting and would never want it to happen. What was even worse was that there would probably be patients, or even their peers, that would think that they're disgusting. It couldn't happen because they had to stay professional and keep their relationship out of it. But the two of them, they couldn't. There was no way possible for the two of them to keep their relationship and their work separate. So, people would know. People always knew.

Mark Sloan laid in be looking up at the ceiling and listening to the sound of the rain hitting his apartment's window. It seemed like he spent a lot of time in his dark room lately. In his defense there were a lot of weird things happening lately for him to think about, so it was natural to think about them in his room.

What happened between him and Derek outside the hospital was still reeling around his head. Mark needed to know what this meant because he was pretty sure that he couldn't take for granted what had happened. This wasn't an invitation for Mark to just waltz in and replace Meredith. They had to keep their personal lives out of work. The two were too intermingled though. How were you suppose to completely block out something when it was right there in front of you all the time. It wasn't as simple as shutting out Derek. Not when he was there. There, all the time.

Sitting up in bed, Mark ran a hand through his hair. In his own way he was disgusted. Not by the idea of having a gay relationship, but because he was thinking about this too much. Thinking got him in trouble. Never in his life had Mark sat and thought about something like this. Well, so much as he was now. It was clouding his judgment. The last thing that he needed was to go to work the next day and not be able to think. It made himself sick just thinking of the mistakes that he could make because he was thinking too much.

Derek. It was always Derek. When Mark had told him that he came to Seattle for him, he wasn't lying. Addison was a side treat that Mark got, but it really was Derek. Everything was because of Derek. Everything. Mark was a man-whore because in high school he and Derek competed for the girls, and Mark hated to lose. He slept with Addison, not just because Addison was hot, but because Mark felt like he was being forgotten and this was the best way to get Derek's attention again.

The idea of what Mark did or would do for Derek kind of disgusted him. Not in the sense that he was going to make himself stop, but it was the whole idea that Derek had that much power over him. It kind of scared him. Mark sighed. He didn't know why he even bothered coming home. He knew damn well that he wouldn't be getting sleep, so why didn't he just stay at the hospital? At least there he would have an _excuse _to use.

At least an excuse that he could say to his peers without getting judged. Sighing again, Mark laid back down with some force and stared at the ceiling. It was going to be a long night.


End file.
